Mandated 24-Hour In-Service Audit

Mandated 24-Hour In-Service Audit

Effective January 1, 2006, every peace officer certified under RCW 43-101-095 is required to complete a minimum of 24-hours of in-service training annually. 

Effective January 1, 2016, every reserve peace officer as defined by WAC 139-05-810 will complete a minimum of 24-hours of in-service training annually. 

Effective January 1, 2026, corrections officers and certified limited authority peace officers under RCW 43-101-095 will be required to complete a minimum of 24 hours of in-service training annually.

Per WAC 139-05-300 (Requirement for In-service Training), certified officer (reserves, peace and corrections officer and certified limited authority peace officers) is used throughout this WAC to ensure all mandated personnel complete 24 hours of in-service training annually.

Training Records

All training records for WAC 139-05-300 must be maintained by the employing agency and be available for review upon request by an authorized commission representative. 

Documentation can be in any format that works best for the agency.  We have provided a 24-hour Mandate - Excel Training Tracking Template available for use; feel free to modify the template. Certificates or documentation of training completed must also be on file.

Submission Requirements

The Declaration of Compliance form is due to the WSCJTC 24-hour In-Service Auditor on or by March 15 for the previous calendar year.  An agency failing to complete their training audit and submit the Declaration of Compliance Form by the due date is non-compliant.

 Documentation Period Due Date
January 1 - December 31, 2024  March 15, 2025

 

Please submit completed and signed declaration forms by mail or email to kayla.wold@cjtc.wa.gov.  Compliant agencies will receive a letter and certificate of compliance after March 15.

2-Hour Annual Online CIT Course Mandate

  • RCW 43.101.427, WAC 139-05-300, and WAC 139-09-020, requires all certified officers to successfully pass the WSCJTC’s 2-hour CIT course as part of the 24-hour annual in-service training requirement.
  • Successful completion of the 2-hour CIT course requires a passing score of 80% or higher and will include a certificate of completion.
  • This requirement needs to be completed annually between January 1 - December 31, each year.
  • If an officer completes the Basic Academy or Equivalency Academy during the auditing year, they are not required to take the 2-hour CIT course until the following year.
  • If an Officer resigned/retired during the auditing calendar year, they are not required to be reported in the audit.
  • Failure to complete this course may result in a non-compliance for your agency.
  • If you need an agency completion report, you can email cit@cjtc.wa.gov.

Extensions

24-hour annual in-service training extension:  If an officer has been out on documented leave, they may request an extension to fulfill their required training hours per WAC 139-05-300 (4). A chief or sheriff may request a three-month extension by doing so in writing to the Commission. The three-month extension provides the individual named until March 31 to complete the remaining mandated 24-hours of training. Any training obtained during this three-month extension only counts towards the previous year being audited. Extensions must be submitted by December 1 of the calendar year in question.

2-hour online CIT course extension:

If an officer has been out on documented leave from October to the end of the calendar year, the agency may request an extension for the 2-hour online CIT course. If an officer is expected to return before February 1st extensions are appropriate. Requests should be received by February 1st for the previous auditing year. The officer will then have until February 28th to complete the re-assigned course. 

Waivers

If an officer is unable to complete the training requirements due to extenuating circumstances (military, medical or unexpected leave), the agency may request a waiver if an officer was on documented leave from October through the end of the year. If an officer is not expected to return by February 1st, waivers are appropriate. Requests should be received by February 1st for the calendar year in question.

Any requests submitted after February 1st will be denied.

Denials may be appealed to the Commission under WAC 139-03-030.

Requested Materials (for extensions or waivers)

A letter from the agency’s chief of sheriff on agency head outlining:

  • The officers name and dates of absence
  • Type of request being submitted
  • An explanation pertaining to why the training could not be completed in the mandated timeframe.

Eligible Training

Eligible training includes all courses offered by the WSCJTC, FBI, FLETC, IACP as well as WASPC’s training day.  Agency training on defensive tactics, blood borne pathogens, EVOC, Firearms and first aid, etc. is eligible. In addition, you can count up to 8-hours per person per year for Lexipol, however the topics cannot be agency specific policy or procedures.

The 24-hours can be completed by one course or by any combination of WSCJTC, vendor, online, or agency developed training as long as it is not agency specific. The training gained must transfer with the officer and be useful throughout the office’s career. There must be a completion certificate or other documentation on file.

For more online training opportunities, please visit our training portal in Acadis.

Pro-rate Formula

Any officer that has been out of the office greater than a month, can apply our pro-rated formula

of two hours X’s the number of months that they are out.  Note, the officer must be out for a full month (consecutively) in order for the formula to be applied.

For example, if an officer was out of the office from April – July, this officer would be given 8 hours of “credited” time and would still be required to have 16 hours of training for the year (4 months out of office X’s 2 hours per month = 8 hours of credited time).

New Officers & Lateral Officers

If you hired a new officer or an out-of-state lateral officer who attended a Basic Academy or the Equivalency Academy in the calendar you are auditing:

  • New officer with Basic Academy – no additional 24 hours.
  • Out-of-state lateral who attended WSCJTC’s Equivalency Academy – no additional 24 hours.

If you hired a new officer as an in-state lateral officer in the calendar year you are auditing:

  • You are responsible that they meet the mandate by the end of the calendar year.
  • You can request their training records and use the eligible training to meet the mandate.

Contact

If you have any further questions regarding the 24-hour in-service training requirement, please contact:

Kayla Wold, 24-hour In-Service Auditor

(206) 835-7306

kayla.wold@cjtc.wa.gov

 

Question Answer

I took a class out of state, does that count towards the training mandate?

Yes, as long as the training was not agency specific and is related to your law enforcement career, it is accepted.   The date completed, title of the class, and number of hours must be documented. 

We had two officers retire this year and they did not complete 24-hours before they left, does that make us non-compliant?

No, any officer that resigned or retired during the calendar year you are auditing does not need to be reported in the audit. You must account for all certified officers and officers employed by your agency on December 31st.

We had an officer on light duty for part or all of the year, are they exempt from the 24-hour training mandate?

No, light duty does not exempt anyone from the mandate. Light duty does not qualify for the pro-rate formula.

I have a new officer that came from out of state and completed the Equivalency Academy this year. They are doing an in-house FTO program at our agency. Do they need an additional 24-hours of training to meet this mandate?

No, if they went through the Equivalency Academy during the calendar year that you are auditing then they do not need an additional 24 hours to meet the mandate.

Can Lexipol be used for training?

Yes, as long as it’s not agency specific (policy, equipment, HR). Each officer can count 8 hours of Lexipol per year. Must prove training if need be.

Does my new officer have to have 24-hours of in-service training?

No, if your officer graduated from a Basic Academy in the calendar year you are auditing then they do not have to have the additional 24 hours of in-service until the next calendar year.

Can the 24-hours of training be all from one course or does it have to be several topics?

Yes, the training can all be from one course. For example, someone with one 40-hour Instructor Development course would be in compliance with the 24-hour in-service mandate.

What happens if my agency does not submit the declaration of compliance form?

If you do not submit the form by March 15th then your agency will be presumed noncompliant.

Do college hours count?

Yes, as long as it pertains to your career in Law Enforcement. One college class counts towards 24 hours of training

Our agency is implementing a new internal computer program to track leave usage/schedules, and all employees are required to attend this training. Can we count that in our 24 hours?

No, this type of training is considered agency specific. The knowledge gained by this training would not be useful if your officer's lateral to another agency therefore, it would not be counted.

Can we count our first aid and firearms training to meet the mandate?

Yes, the general rule is that as long as the training is not agency specific, and the knowledge gained by the training can be transferred/useful throughout the officer’s career then it counts towards the 24-hour mandate.

Do the 24-hours have to be CJTC training classes?

No, the 24-hours can be any or a compilation of CJTC, vendor, or agency developed training as long as it is legitimate training (not agency specific training) and you have a completion certificate and/or documentation on file.

Can we count time reading the Law Enforcement Digest (LED)?

 

The LED’s were converted to an online (Acadis) training platform in June 2020. For each version, 1 hour can be applied towards the 24-hour in-service audit. Please note, you will need to pass the course with a score of 80% or higher and your training manager will need to assign the training to you.

 

 

Can you count Instructor hours as training hours?

No, only training hours that continue your education will be accepted.

We hired a lateral that came to us in June; can the training from their previous agency count?

Yes, in fact the agency that employs the officer at the end of the year is responsible for their compliance with the mandate. You should request a training record from the previous agency and add any training from January to the time you hired them to any training you have given them and combined it should meet the 24-hour mandate.